One-Rehearsal Anthems for the Small Church Choir
If you work with a small church choir, you know the challenges of having an anthem (or two!) ready every Sunday.
Sometimes, you check the sign-out calendar and realize you won't have any Altos next week. Sometimes, service plans change at the last minute. And sometimes, you need something simple that you can put together in one rehearsal.
Perfect for Sundays when you haven't had a midweek rehearsal, or times when you have a smaller group (think holiday weekends or during the summer), here are a few ideas to create instant anthems for your choir, plus several ready-to-use resources to add to your music library.
I hope you find something that works for your choir.
Instant Anthem Ideas for Small Church Choirs
*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.Hymns
4-Part Chorale or Hymn
Your hymnal is a great resource. Choose a favorite, or something that ties in with the theme of the day—one with 4-part writing and singable lines—and experiment with different ways to sing each verse:
Unison women or men
Additive by phrase (S, SA, SAT, SATB or S, ST, SAT, SATB)
4-part
Sopranos singing the Tenor line as a descant, everyone else in unison on the melody
One section singing the melody on text while the others sing the harmony parts on "ooh"
Tenors singing the melody (Sopranos singing the Tenor part up an octave)
Here are a few other collections to consider adding to your repertoire:
A Choir Book for Advent - 15 classic Advent texts in 36 musical settings. Flexible voicing options for unison voices, 2-part (equal voices or mixed), 3-part (equal voices or mixed), and SATB.
A Choir Book for Christmas - 30 classic Christmas texts in 59 musical settings, with all the flexible voicing options noted above.
A Choir Book for Lent - a 136-page book of classic chants, spirituals, and chorales written for unison/2-part, 3-part, and SATB. Create your own varied arrangement by choosing stanzas from various settings.
A Choir Book for Easter - a flexible collection of sacred pieces suitable for the Easter season.
A Choir Book for General Use - 68 classic, non-seasonal texts in 94 flexible musical settings. Choose the voicing that suits your choir or mix and match on different stanzas to create your own arrangement.
Pro Tip: Use parts of a piano or organ hymn arrangement for a more interesting accompaniment.
Canons for Equal Voices
Choose a three- or four-voice canon such as Dona Nobis Pacem or the Tallis Canon and try some of the following:
Divide by voice part or divide into three equal groups of men's and women's voices
Try adding in parts of the canon one at a time, then taking them away one at a time
Divide your choir into two parts and have an instrumentalist play the third part
Note: See the choir books referenced above for more music for equal voices.
Amens
Conclude your instant anthem with a short "Amen" to make it feel more complete. Again, your hymnal is a great resource!
Use a three-, four-, or even seven-fold Amen from the back of your hymnal
Pull an "Amen" section from the end of your favorite anthem (like P.C. Lutkin or Rutter's "The Lord Bless You and Keep You")
Related resource: Songs for the Sanctuary: Alleluias & Amens
Ready-to-Sing Anthem Collections
There are several collections of instant (or one-rehearsal) anthems that are great to keep on hand for all the reasons outlined above. Here are a few to consider:
Sunday Savers (Althouse) - five instant anthems for two-part mixed choir
Sunday Savers No. 2 (Althouse) - five two-part pieces for the church year (with rehearsal suggestions!)
Sunday Savers for SAB Choirs (Althouse) - five SAB pieces for the church year
One Rehearsal Wonders, Vol. 1 - eight two-part, SAB, and SATB anthems, plus a bonus benediction
One Rehearsal Wonders, Vol. 2 - two-part, SAB, and SATB arrangements of a few classic hymn favorites
One Rehearsal Wonders, Vol. 3 - 11 SAB and two-part anthems for any occasion
One Rehearsal Wonders, Vol. 4 (Advent/Christmas) - 10 two-part, SAB, and SATB arrangements for Advent/Christmas
Instant Anthems of Praise - six two-part anthems for mixed voices
The Instant Worship Choir Collection - 20 SATB arrangements
Ready, Set, Sing! (Althouse) - five SAB anthems for any time of the year
I’d love to hear from you:
What are your favorite one-rehearsal anthems?
